To date, I have read all the books in the series and been extremely disappointed. I think the premise is never-ending and frustrating. I keep hoping the Koontz of The Watchers will reappear.

The Forbidden Door is the 4th book in the Jane Hawk series.

"She could be only who she was, could only do what she had always done, and one thing she had never done was surrender."

In a genre filled with alpha male protagonists, Dean Koontz has created a welcomed female lead who is both strong and fierce, but also human and believable. Jane Hawk is a widower, a mother, a daughter, a pianist, the top of America's Most Wanted list, and fiercely determined to expose the Arcadians and their devious, totalitarian plans of controlling society and creating their version of utopia. Against many odds, Jane has endured ongoing attacks as she tries to unravel the truths of the Arcadians and secret away enough evidence to bring them to their knees. At the same time, she is deeply worried for the safety of her remaining family, her son and in-laws, as well as her closest and trusted friends.

The Forbidden Door is my least favorite of the books thus far in the series. A large portion of the book deals with the various Arcadian teams that are chasing Jane and her family members. I am a huge fan of Dean Koontz and his command of the English language, and for the first time I felt like the book could have been a bit shorter and not as visually detailed. Having said that, it is still a wonderful book and does an excellent job bridging gaps and setting the stage for the fifth and final book.

I have been a fan of Dean Koontz for probably thirty years. However, beginning with Intensity I felt something was going wrong with his books - for my reading. I think these Jane Hawk novels - and this one in particular - has come a step up. It goes back toward some of his other tales, such as Dark Rivers of the Heart and some other earlier books. As usual, his writing is flowery and he paints some really beautiful scenes. However, I feel his prose sometimes gets in the way of telling a more succinct and exciting story. At one point when he goes on and on about a character's past life and thoughts, it just made me want to get through it. It may have been done to increase the suspense, but it became annoying. However, I will continue reading Jane Hawk and will still recommend this new series. I wonder what more Mr. Koontz has in store for poor Jane Hawk.

Fourth book in this series and my first read. The start was slow and a little tedious. Started picking up about a third into the book and WOW, the interest caught fire. The story is almost a “big brother” scenario , with the revolutionary truly bad guys seeming to always get the upper hand. By the end of this book, all is not well with the revolution and the main character, Jane Hawk is on the move, trying to stay alive, at a high price. A good read.

I really like this series. This was my least favorite book in the series. It took place over a very short period of time and it seemed to me it was mostly filler.

Mr. Koontz tends to use flowery descriptive language and in this book, it was too much. If you took out all of that prose, the book would be 2/3 shorter and would have easily fit into the last book or the next one.

One must read the other books in the series before reading this one. Therefore, the synopsis is short.

The series focuses on an FBI agent who discovers an increase in the suicide rate involving people that on first glance would not commit suicide. In her quest to find the reason behind this increase, she becomes a rogue agent on the FBI most wanted list. She is taking on a vast conspiracy while trying to keep her son and those she loves safe.

Very good series, just this book, not so much.

The Forbidden Door is a heartwrenching suspenseful read that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. A story that is sure to have you second guessing until the very end.

Another great thriller from Dean Koontz! I love the Jane Hawk series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

When I pick up a Dean Koontz book there are certain things I expect. I expect non-stop action, edge of the seat what happens next, and the fear terror that makes his books so wonderful. And he did not disappoint! I am a diabetic that is insulin dependent and was hesitant to use my nano needle after reading this book. And I wanted to scream "Run, Jane, Run"! Yes, Dean Koontz had me all pulled into the story and taking sides. Yay! Another winner for this author.

Another superb Jane Hawk thriller! Dean Koontz is at the top of his game with the continued adventures of Hawk.

Firstly, my immense thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to review this book. I am a huge fan of the Jane Hawk series, and I was not disappointed with this one. This is not a standalone novel, and I highly suggest reading the other books first so you are not completely lost. I love Koontz's writing style, as his descriptions of places and feelings are almost as if you are there in the novel. Jane is continuing her hunt for her little boy, Travis, and taking down the Techno Arcadians. If this novel were a movie, it would be an edge of your seat thriller. These are some very bad people Jane has become entangled with, and you find yourself rooting for her every step of the way. The only bad thing I can say about this novel is that it ended, and now I have to wait for the next chapter!

A gripping thriller with a touch of horror.
The story line is focused on the capture of jane Hawk's son, Travis, by the techno-Arcadian's movement. For them, enslavement by nanotechnology is the perfect way to achieve Utopia.

This secret society have a Hamlet's list of people who will influence the world in some way that diverges from their master plan, so what better way to make them commit suicide by being adjusted with a control mechanism.

Jane Hawk has eluded all attempts to be capture and has the skill set to find and kill her opponents, and expose this Orwellian nightmare.

I love Dean Koontz, but disagree that this book in a series can be read alone. I have not read the other books but feel the backstory is too critical to make sense of the characters' motivations. That said, it is an action-packed thriller that those who have read the prior releases, will, no doubt, want to read.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book is the third in the Jane Hawk series. Jane is on a one woman crusade to save America from an evil rebellion whose intent is to turn citizens into slaves with their nanotechnology. Jane’s inlaws have found themselves in danger because of what they know. They are now running for their lives.
Meanwhile, Jane is on the hunt for her son,Travis. He is currently in hiding at a safe house after his caretakers Gavin and Jessica have been murdered. Jane’s ragtag ‘team’ consists of 80-something,
Bernie Riggowitz, former wig salesman, and Luther Tillman, law officer, from Minnesota. Driving an RV
as a getaway vehicle, will they be able to rescue Travis and get away to safety? Something has gone haywire with the nanotechnology injections. Instead of becoming slaves, the injected are becoming uncontrollably violent.

After really enjoying and becoming engaged by the first two books, I was then a bit disappointed by The Crooked Staircase (Book 3 - see earlier review). and am now even more disappointed by The Forbidden Door. All the opposition, each and every one, spread across multiple government agencies, many well educated, many rich, many at very high levels, are ALL, without exception, crazed socio/psychopaths with not so much as a single sane one in the bunch. Key bad guys are blown away by some crazy Texan they dissed when they blew by her on the road (one way to get rid of an inconvenient character I suppose). Jane's character shows zero development. The increasingly prevalent and gratuitous, immoral and depraved sexual content is off-putting if not repulsive. Although I am hanging on since I really enjoyed the start of this series, I am calling strike 2. One more as bad or worse the The Forbidden door, and the series will be out for me. Surely Koontz has someone ghost writing this because he cannot have slipped this far.

An outstanding thriller from a wonderful author! I was also thrilled with his almost poetic descriptions! Jane is being hunted, along with her son, by the Techno Arcadians who are wanting to take over the government through implanting micro organisms in the blood. Thankfully Jane discovers the plan and is fighting against the group. There are several new characters who really helpful to Jane and her son. I really enjoyed the book!!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2482339869

I can’t say enough good about this series. I love all of the characters. I always am holding by breath when I am reading because of all of the suspense. Can’t wait for the next one!

Jane Hawk is my hero and now there are others who have joined her in the quest to defeat the Arcadians. This book is definitely better than the third and could be my favorite so far. I like the development of the story related to the "bad guys" and I like the use of the landscape and terrain as "characters" in the book.

It could be a stand alone book but I recommend reading the series for the full effect of this thrilling and suspenseful story!

Many thanks to Random House Publishing – Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC of this new book. I requested the book as I remembered how much I had enjoyed the initial appearance of Jane Hawk in “The Crooked Staircase.” I had forgotten the negative issues in that book: the excessive and explicit torture and gore, the Techno Arcadians with legitimate credentials (and paychecks!) from Homeland Security, the FBI and the NSA while plotting the overthrow of the USA, and lastly the fact that there was no wrapping up at the end. It simply quit and gave the reader a teaser for the next book in the series.

Just 4 chapters into “The Forbidden Door” I was reminded of the above and chose to stop right there.

Jane Hawk is a fantastic heroine and I’m sure the suspense and action will be superb. Sadly, not my type of book.

This review will be published immediately to GoodReads and on Amazon after publication.

The movie Mission Impossible just came out in theater yesterday and I picked up this book to read the day after. The scene where Jane asked Bernie for help suddenly I felt the book was taking me that way, the way of Mission Impossible. Don't be mistaken into thinking the story line is anything like that. However, this book is adrenaline fuel and I couldn't put it down. This should be made into an amazing action movie with a real badass woman heroine. However, the ending lack the charismatic of Dean Koontz signature writing.

The Techno Arcadians are back with their mind-bending injections and relentless pursuit of world domination. Dean Koontz, in “The Forbidden Door,” has once again placed Jane Hawk in their path, and as target of their hatred. The story is relentless with innumerable characters, countless dry and hot locations, and a myriad of technological weapons being deployed in sinister fashion.

The chase continues with Jane either running from or chasing the bad guys. Koontz is a master at creating realistic scenarios where no one is safe or hidden. The plot is the same as his first Jane Hawk book. Exotic vehicles carry brilliant killers through the Anza-Borrego Desert searching for the elusive Hawk and her followers, determined to inject mind-altering drugs into them, and change them into mindless creatures who will follow orders to the end (of either them or the movement to which they are directed).

Koontz has a magical imagination and he is able to get it into words that have, through the years, entranced millions of readers. I find a little too much flora in his writing. For instance, conclusions are not only violent, they are Wagnerian. Stricken faces seem “as patient as spectral voyagers waiting on the bank of that final, black river for the ferry that forever conveyed travelers in only one direction.” There are many more equally grand lines in his writing that could be reduced and shorten his book.

Another slightly annoying tendency is Koontz’ conjuring up innumerable people being connected either with Hawk or the Techno Arcadians. Trying to keep them sorted is a never-ending effort and I finally end up just ignoring them. But, aside from being picky about flowers, I went without many a cheese sandwich and glass of milk to keep reading the book.

As expected, the book ended abruptly with nothing being solved and a preview of the next installment included as a finale. Koontz has made sure I’ll be nosed into his next novel about Jane Hawk and her endless trials.